Picture the scene: a leisurely stroll along the sun kissed beach, watching the tide roll in, enjoying the sound of waves lapping the shore, seeing the glisten of the pure gold bracelet lying amongst the seaweed... Wait, what?
That's right! There was much more than simple driftwood washing up in Quito, Ecuador last week when locals were amazed to find a wide range of gold and silver jewellery lying on the beach in the port city of Manta. The recent high tides are apparently to blame; but rather than just washing in old boots and seaweed, beachgoers were shocked to find everything from silver necklaces to rings, bracelets and even coins.
The currency would appear to be of United States origin, but as of yet nobody has a clue where the veritable treasure trove came from.
It all happened on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. As soon as word got out, of course, there was a deluge of local residents swarming the beach just trying to get their hands on some of the booty. Although it appears this stash isn't going to be making any millionaires, one woman reported that she made a cool $25 on the items she managed to snag from the beach.
The city of Manta is no stranger to these high tides, and many of the locals have claimed that a very similar thing happened five years ago when a similar amount of jewellery was washed up. Going by that logic, it may be an idea to book your flights for 2015 about now; although you'll need to be quick, it seems that the Manta population are dab-hands at beachcombing!
Having said all that (and because we all know what kinds of things usually wash up on beaches) let's hope this story doesn't end up having a sting in the tail!